Il Porto Restaurant

We having been going to Il Porto for over 10 years. The chicken is out of this world and the tomato sauce is great. The service is wonderful and their carryout is good as well. I highly recommend this hidden gem of Gaithersburg!

My family and I came here a few nights ago for my mothers birthday. I have two kids and I wasn’t sure how they would hold out (age 7 and 2) but because it was her birthday, we went song with it.
We had 7pm reservations. We arrived five minutes early and were pleasantly surprised to be sat immediately at a table already set for us. They have done some very nice upgrades since our last visit years back. But that’s where the appeal stopped. We were sat at 6:55pm and didn’t even have drinks on the table until 7:20. At that time we placed our dinner orders, which did come out in a timely manor. I hadn’t seen a children’s menu and asked our server to name the 2 – 3 most popular kids meals. We went with penne with meat sauce, for the two kids to split. The food was tasty, but nothing over the top that would stand out for me. At this point in our meal, I’d have rated our visit a 4 star. Service was painfully slow and we got one refill our entire stay (1.5 hours!).
By 8pm, we had been there for over an hour and it was time to go. I promptly asked for the check, as our two year old was showing signs of getting angsty. 8:10 rolls around, still no check. I asked another gentlemen who was working if our server could come over with the check. He came a few minutes later and literally insisted on clearing off our entire table before presenting the check. By this point, my husband already took the kids out to the car and I continued to wait. I finally paid at 8:24pm, 24 minutes after asking for the check. By this point, it went down to 3 stars because of the painfully obnoxious wait.
The rating went down to two stars after receiving the check and seeing the children’s penne was $ 12.99. That’s an insane price for a kids meal, completely NOT worth it. It was a pathetic amount.
Overall, we were not satisfied with our visit. It’s highly unlikely we’d return, even without kids.

This place is a trip, and quite possibly an international one. By my standards for restaurants in the area, the prices are a little high, but the restaurant more than makes up for that with endearing waitstaff, pleasant décor, and subdued music.
I’ll admit, the first time I set food in this place, it was merely to find some semblance of a traditional dessert after dining across they way at the AYCE sushi. I love the sushi, but I NEED traditional dessert in order to feel that my dining experience is complete.
I actually tried eating there once. I think I may have only ordered pork chops or something, but I was very impressed, as was my date. I’ve since brought several of my friends there (one of those club gatherings I talk about in so many of my reviews. I’ve sampled several desserts, and above all I recommend the chocolate mousse cake. It is very rich, but not overwhelmingly so.

Love this restaurant the staff is wonderful and friendly we had my dad’s
Bday party here they accommodated everyone and took great care of us if you are planning a small dinner or a big party Il Porto is the place to go the food is fresh and always good Alberto and his staff are so hardworking and always treat us well.

Not a dog friendly restaurant for their outside seating. Because of this we choose not to eat there.

We were pleasantly surprised at lunch. The homemade bread with rosemary-​infused olive oil at the beginning was quite good, as was the fried zucchini appetizer. It was lightly breaded, not oily and tasted fresh. Everybody liked their entrees — from fish to mussels to spinach lasagna. The eggplant parmigiana was some of the best I’ve had — again, lightly breaded and not too cheesy like at many places. You could actually taste the eggplant. The mango sorbet was served in what appeared to be a frozen mango, which looked pretty cool. The prices are very reasonable for big portions. The service was a bit slow and drink refills took a while, but those were minor issues. We enjoyed our meal and will go back.

My wife and I were excited to come here as it seems to always be busy. We were hugely disappointed in the food and service. Our waiter was literally one of the worst ever. We watched him continue to check on a table that had a huge party and pass us and his other tables all night. The calamari and pasta tasted cheap. I try and give establishments the benefit of the doubt but this visit was horrible all the way around. The icing on the cake was at the end when after waiting for 10 minutes for the waiter to return the check; it was another worker that returned our check. We heard other tables complaining about not being served in a prompt manner as well. We will not be returning. This is the only time I have ever given an establishment 1 star.

Love love love this restaurant! I’ve been coming here for at least 8 years, and have seen them grow over time.
First off, the staff is the most hardworking and dedicated I’ve seen — they are always attentive and friendly and quick to get you seated.
The food… where do I start? Their menu may seem simple, but it is quality. I have never walked away unsatisfied by their food. Their appetizers are fantastic, their pizza sauce is delicious, and every pasta dish I’ve had is fresh and made to order.
I’m gunna make it short and sweet… stop on in!

We recently moved to MD and were looking for a good, reliable, basic Italian restaurant. This did not disappoint! We were seated quickly and – contrary to what others have said – we didn’t find the service slow at all (even though we were there on a busy Saturday night). The portions were just right (we were very hungry, so I imagine some people might want to share an entrée if they’re not feeling that hungry).
There’s certainly nothing fancy about this place, but if you’re looking for basic red sauce Italian food, this is a great choice. We will definitely be back!

Amazing little place!!! The white pizza was to die for !!! We had the lasagna. The eggplant parm and the linguini with white clam sauce. Absolutely incredible! Great service!!! Friendly caring owner.
Will always make this place a stop when I am in Gaithersburg. Wish this place had been around when I still lived here!
Terrific food!!! Terrific service!!!
I am in love!!!

il Porto is an Italian restaurant that ‘serves fresh and delicious Italian food at very reasonable prices along with impeccable service’ located in the Festival Shopping Center in Gaithersburg, MD. The restaurant staff are super friendly and accommodating, providing a welcome atmosphere for all. The restaurant has a private dining room that will comfortably accommodate 60 people. The room has a large flat screen TV for you to display a presentation to your group.
When the weather gets nicer, patrons can utilize the outdoor patio. When you enter the restaurant, the decoration was quite simple. There are large painted murals on the wall of various scenes in Italy such as Venice and Siena/​Tuscany. I liked how there was a combination of natural light, chandelier, and ceiling lights. Each table was covered with a white tablecloth with plain off-​white dinnerware, glass drinkware, and floral centerpiece. The floral centerpiece consisted of a small clear vase made of glass, filled with water, and a fern to accompany a mix of white, pink, or red carnations.
Shortly after being seated, a gentleman asked us what we would like to drink and provided us with basket of warm bread — enough for everyone to have seconds. The bread was served with pre-​packaged butter, a bottle of rosemary infused extra virgin olive oil, and freshly grated parmesan. We started our meal with Fried Artichoke Hearts, which isn’t listed on the menu. The Fried Artichoke Hearts consisted of four whole artichoke hearts, battered with cornmeal, deep fried in canola/​olive oil, and served with lemon. I liked they were fragrant and crispy on the outside. For my entrée, I stuck with my usual /​all-​time favorite at il Porto which was the Chicken Doratti. Similar to Chicken Francese, the chicken is crusted with egg batter, pan-​fried to perfection, served in lemon butter sauce, and garnished with freshly grated parsley. This entrée was served with linguini topped with lightly spiced marinara sauce. I wondered if they would substitute the pasta with a salad but didn’t want to cause any difficulties with price differences.

My family brought me here for my birthday, it was recommended as a family-​style Italian restaurant and it definitely didn’t disappoint. We got the Billy salad to share which was a basic salad with a light vinaigrette. I ordered the meat cannelloni which was delish — pasta texture was just right, meat filling wasn’t too cheesy and the marinara sauce completed the dish. It was also just the right portion for a meal. The prices here are also very reasonable, all entrees are $ 10 – 15. The rest of the group was also happy with their choices — lasagna, fried calamari with linguine and a red sauce, chicken romano. I was impressed by the amount of calamari that came with the linguine. The Chicken Romano had a very tasty sauce that was a bit sweet with white wine, I would definitely recommend that one. Hope to try it again sometime.

I wanted to give Il Porto 3 and ½ stars but Unilocal does not have ½ star. Anyway I am Italian and I spend part of the year in Italy and I mostly review Italian restaurants. Il Porto offered pretty good food in the Italian American Style. They serve butter and Marinara sauce at the beginning of the meal. The focaccia had cheese on top and made it heavy but the fried zucchini and calamari where quite good. The main course consisted with Fettuccine in a creamy but not heavy seafood sauce. It was good. The other main dish however was a huge plate of eggplant with spaghetti with red sauce on the side. I never seen serving a main course that way in Italy. The food overall was good but I like to review an ethnic restaurant also for its authenticity.

Friendly, casual Italian restaurant with comforting food and a relaxing atmosphere.
I came here with family on a Saturday evening for a somewhat late dinner. Fortunately, while the restaurant was relatively crowded, they found us a table in a side room that was quiet and spacious. We started off with the garlic bread (we didn’t realize we would get complimentary bread) and fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, the latter of which was especially delicious. My companion and I split the white beans, which were perfectly cooked in a light white sauce, as our vegetarian protein before digging into an order of cheese ravioli and a small white pizza with fontina cheese. While I’m not sure if their pasta is homemade, the ravioli were scrumptious and well-​balanced with a tangy tomato sauce. My companion especially enjoyed the white pizza, though I found it a bit too cheesy. Our other diners enjoyed their meat lasagna and meat ravioli, which, like our orders, came in reasonable portions. The service was very friendly, the décor was relaxed but pleasant, and the atmosphere was lively — all our fellow diners seemed to likewise be having very positive experiences here.

Went here on a Friday night with a friend. Needless to say I wasn’t impressed. When I walked up there was no warm welcome feeling by the gentleman standing outside. He didn’t hello Maybin seat you or anything. He looked as though me and friend were lost. I see older couples normally go here. I am the complete opposite. I sat outside and he seemed annoyed by Mr choosing to enjoy the weather. The flower arrangements are nice but brings the flies and bees! The bread they serve as a appetizer was good but not warm. I ordered the stuffed flounder I did not care for the taste at all. The marina sauce was ok with the noodles.
I won’t be returning to this restaurant.

Phenomenal, superb, excellent — what else can I say about Il Porto. We frequent the restaurant often and everything is always excellent — food, service, price. I have never had a dish less than great.
This past weekend I had a surprise party for my wife with 60 guests. Everyone’s food came out correct, all meals were hot, and the service was top notch. They were even able to accommodate my one guest with gluten intolerance. Il Porto is the anchor tenant of Muddy Branch and a must go to for all!

This was my first time at this location. My boyfriend has been to this location before.
First, the patio was fabulous. Beautiful and relaxing. The music was entertaining at times and not intrusive.
Second, the food was fabulous and delicious. We ordered salads and split an entrée based upon my boyfriends experiences. There was plenty of food for the two of us.
The bread was good and a good quality
But, the service was slow. No one checked on us about refills and needs during the meal and the service when requested was very slow. We ran out of drinks twice and had to delay eating due to a lack of beverage. In addition we asked for the check and were brought the desert menu and not the check. So yet another unnecessary deal.

Went to this Italian restaurant for lunch few times and I like it. Depends on what you order, food is average to very good. Décor is average, service is hit and miss. But for the affordable price, I won’t complaint. Bread even served warm :)
My fav is their White cheese pizza, and the Zuppa di clam in white sauce which is an appetizer so I order a side linguine to go with it.
I will not recommend their Lasagna which is done all wrong.

Found this place on Unilocal,I didn’t think there would be a good restaurant on muddy branch! This place exceeded my expectations! I ordered the white pizza with cheese and sautéed red pepper. It was great, I try the Roast Veal and it was the best I have had ! The pasta was good, service was average, maybe it was weekend and they were packed! Anyway gave this place my recommendation!

Walked in on Sunday Night for a later dinner with my sister about 30 minutes before closing time. As we entered, we could see the décor was so Italian, and we saw at least 3 different Italian families sitting to have dinner. Their conversations were animated and passionate :) and made for great dinner room banter! :)
I had a glass of the house Merlot, which was great. We started off with the Calamari app — I was ok with it (I am just usually not a fan of calamari), but my sister loved it, and I think the marinara was pretty good.
For my entrée, I had the sea bass with a side of spaghetti and marinara and some grilled veggies. The fish was very well done, and perfectly seasoned. My sister had the gnocchi and she liked it. I had a bite from her plate, and though I do believe it could be fluffier in texture, I am not complaining — it was pretty alright!
The highlight of the visit was their dessert menu, in addition to the traditional Italian desserts like the tiramisu, they had a tarffuto on their menu. Think of 2 melded flavors of ice cream in a scoop, with chopped up cherries in between, all nestled in an amazingly tasty chocolate shell. I think it was VERY homey, delicious, different and VERY very Italian at the same time!
Will love to be back!